


i'm a sucker for you

by kiriya



Category: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Minor Violence, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Canon, be gay do crimes, kiriya's excessive nickname use, parad's unsubtle wingmanning, paraemu+kiriya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-05-12 13:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19230469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiriya/pseuds/kiriya
Summary: kujo kiriya tries to walk away from being in love with hojo emu, but someone else grabs him on his way out the door





	i'm a sucker for you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NearlyBanjou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NearlyBanjou/gifts).



> well, i set out to write a fic about parad and kiriya goofing off together, and if you can't tell from the word count, it got a little out of hand .... anyway, kiriparaemu is THE ex-aid ship. thank you so much for requesting this ot3 and i hope you love this as much as i loved writing it!
> 
> this fic takes place after genm v. lazer, but ignores nico moving to america. also mentions kiriya's parents re: mighty novel x. check end notes for content warnings (re: the minor violence tag.... this is very cute fic i s2g)
> 
> [fic title ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnAmeh0-E-U)

 

**[2016]**

“Got any Christmas Eve plans, hot shot?” Kiriya asks, situating himself on the edge of the table. Kiriya’s good at appearing out of nowhere and Emu’s clumsy and easily spooked. But he doesn’t fall out of his chair, surprisingly, and Kiriya wonders, not for the first time around Emu, if he’s starting to lose his edge. He folds his arms across his chest and fixes with him a look, glasses on the bottom of his nose, while Emu sets his fork down. 

“You shouldn’t be here, Kiriya-san,” Emu chides, because even though he works for the hospital, he’s not a part of CR like him and Kagami. Emu narrows his eyes a bit, stern, but makes no real attempt to make him leave before returning to his lunch. “I’m working tonight.” 

“The surgeon’s got you scheduled on Christmas Eve?” Hiiro Kagami —  Seito University’s rising star — Kiriya knows, from all the investigating he did on all the other riders. But if Kagami won’t give Kiriya enough respect to use his name, Kiriya won’t either. “That’s heartless, even for him.” 

“Hiiro _has_ a heart, he’s just—” Emu goes from insistent to not quite knowing what to say, lips pressed into a thin, frustrated line. It’s not like Kagami can hear him, probably caught up with the yearly spike of holiday-related trauma. Kiriya does feel a little bad, leaving Nishi to deal with most of it while he’s wrapped up in the Bugster virus and — “Strict,” Emu finally settles on.

Kiriya pulls his lips into a knowing smile. “Don’t want to talk shit about your boss, huh?”

“Mmm. Hiiro-san takes the work seriously, and I admire that. It was my choice to stay, anyway. For the kids. It sucks to spend Christmas by yourself. Especially in a hospital.”

“Speaking from experience?”

That makes a laugh bubble out of Emu, and the sound, though small, pulls at something old in Kiriya’s chest. 

“Maybe,” he replies, looking awfully satisfied with himself. Kiriya raises his brow and Emu gives him a pointed look. “Once you start being more honest with me, I’ll be more honest with you.”

“I like this side of you, Emu. You’re more than just a pretty face, you know?” That’s what he likes about Emu — he was just as sweet as he looked, but assertive when he needed to be. _Must be the gamer in him_ , Kiriya thinks. He puts a hand over his heart, swearing on it. “No more lies, now that we’re on the same side and all that.”

“We were always on the same side, Kiriya-san,” Emu reminds him. His tone retains some chide, but it sounds more playful than anything. Especially with that warm little smile Kiriya’s come to be so fond of. “You were just too stubborn to see it.”

“I see things more clearly now, all thanks to you, ace,“ Kiriya nudges Emu’s calf with his foot. It may be the compliment or the brief touch, but Emu’s visibly brightens. “What time do the kids gotta go to bed and wait for Santa — 8? Let me take you for a ride, get a few drinks or something.”

“Or something?” Emu asks, and while his smile is warm and sweet, Kiriya can see the knowing his in eyes, which revs him up more than a little. “I was planning to leave at 9. I might be tired, but ... I really like you, Kiriya-san. I want to go out with you if I can.” 

God.

Attraction is something he feels plenty and often, but this — Hojo Emu tugs at feelings he thought died with his best friend. Makes him feel enough to reconsider all the lies, and makes him feel like he can change fate for real. Kiriya usually doesn’t think in that much poetry either, but he’s too sweet on Emu to care. He grins at him like a kid with a big, shiny gift. 

And why not? It’s Christmas, right?  

“See ya then, hot shot.” 

 

 

 

 

  
The next day, Kujo Kiriya dies looking into Hojo Emu’s eyes, but even as he fades from his existence, he feels it will be alright. Life was fun while it lasted, and pushing his Gamer Driver into Emu’s arms, he trusts Hojo Emu can do what he couldn’t. 

  
  
  
  
  


**[2020]**

There’s a lull in things for the most part, after Kuroto’s gone for good. Less emergency calls now that most forms of the Bugster virus have a vaccine, and CR is much quieter, without a maniacal god grating all their nerves. 

Still, being a human again is an adjustment for Kiriya. Food doesn’t taste quite the same with a new body, and he needs to remember to cut his nails every now and again. Despite the sensory adjustment and returning to a few old routines, Dan Kuroto’s coding was near on the mark, and it’s nice, to have his second chance at life actually feel _earned_ this time, by virtue of killing the man who took it in the first place, _for good._  
  
Really, the most notable difference around Cyber Rescue is that Parad and Emu are dating now. The respective threats to their lives this past month — Parad getting kidnapped, Emu getting shot — must have shifted things enough for them to finally see what was right in front of them.

And they’re cute _._ They got a sweet, innocent kind of puppy love, full of wide smiles and fond giggles. And Kiriya _knows_ Emu isn’t cruel enough to rub it in his face, but it seems like every corner he rounds, Parad and Emu are lacing their fingers together under the table when they think no one is looking, or snuggling close on the couch in CR, with Nico making exaggerated faces of disgust and Poppy happily cooing over them.

Kiriya isn’t jealous — he’s not that kind of guy, too casual, too easy-going — but he’s something. Something that makes him feel off-kilter for rest of the day, and makes his chest feel empty and heavy all at once.

Which is pathetic, because he and Emu only ever had sex the once (after drinks, the night before he died the first time. It started like any other time Kiriya takes a boy home from a bar, but the sex was long and sappy and perfect, and Kiriya remembers the sweet press of Emu’s mouth to his neck like it was yesterday). And if Kiriya ever wanted anything more out of that, the window for it closed during the five month period he spent in the ground (metaphorically). And as much as he tried to avoid the fact, what he felt for Emu was more than just an intense crush on a pretty boy with a nice smile. 

He spent months, years even, avoiding giving this powerful feeling a name. But  Kiriya’s in love with Hojo Emu, and the fact has never been so forward in his mind than when his head fell dead and slack against his shoulder in the pouring rain. 

(And Kiriya held him there, and let himself be held, because he never thought he’d live to get anything else. Didn’t even want to, because he finally finished all the work he set out to when he got involved with the Bugster virus in the first place.)

Kiriya’s alive now, grateful to be human again, but he’s alone. A insuppressible pang in his chest. Kiriya’s used to not mind it. In fact, he liked it. It’s why he went through so much trouble to not be Hojo Emu’s friend in the first place. He knows death too intimately, and that reckless feelings like that only serve to hurt him. 

Today, thankfully, when he comes up the stairs to CR, Emu is by himself. Sitting at the table with an open snack from the vending machine, muttering cute little victory phrases to the GenmBoy in his hands like no one can hear him. 

(If Kiriya still were a bugster, he’d teleport directly in front of him and make him fall out of his chair. He’ll miss that. Scaring people, especially Emu, with the cute little expression he gets when he’s spooked.)

“Special delivery, ace,” Kiriya announces as he walks over to the table, dropping a fat file from the Genetic Research Department in front of him with a dramatic smack. He sits on the table in front of him and crosses his arms. “Give this a once over with your expert eye for Saiko-sensei, ‘kay?” 

The room is utterly silent except for the cheerful chime of _Mighty Action X_ between them. 

Kiriya waves a hand in front of his face. “Yo. Anybody home?” 

The handheld blips sadly, and Emu scowls. Then, he pouts at him, wide brown eyes and a full bottom lip. Cute. 

“That wasn’t very nice, Lazer. You made me die.” Emu’s voice says back to him. “If you want to talk to M, just ask.” 

So Emu’s not alone. Parad’s here. Kiriya fights to keep the disappoint off his face. 

It’s not like Kiriya doesn’t like Parad, but they’re not friends either. Nico, Poppy, even Hiiro and Taiga, he has some precedent for banter with, but Parad, he isn’t quite sure how to interact with. Even if Poppy is friends with him and Emu is a little something more, they just occasionally overlap along his orbit, nothing more. 

“I did,” Kiriya says. “You didn’t hear me.”

Parad gives him a flat stare, before his eyes flash red and a smile crawls across his lips, familiar and bright. “Don’t worry, Kiriya-san. I’ll take a look for Saiko-sensei as soon as my break’s over ... Did you need anything else? Hiiro-san is in a really long surgery, and Asuna went out for lunch...” 

Kiriya doesn’t move. The whole possession thing is kinda creepy to him, still. 

“Nah. Enjoy the rest of your lunch, ace.” 

“Alright,” Emu gives him a hopeful look.”I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Count on it.”

Kiriya hops off the table and gives them a half-assed salute on his way out. He can still feel their eyes on him when he leaves. Maybe it’s the kinks in being freshly human, but he doesn’t feel like can he breath quite right until the elevator door shuts behind him. 

  


  
  
  


The typical lull in fatal trauma around this time of year isn’t doing anything to keep his mind off the miserable state of his heart. He misses affecting not having one at all. It was always easier that way, before Hojo Emu turned his world upside down. Even in his darker days, aimless self-pity wasn’t his color. He’s not Nishi, who can’t go one day without complaining about not having anyone but Kiriya and his sister… Not that he doesn’t appreciate the guy  — He’s the closest thing Kiriya has to a best friend, and stuck by him through the years he spent blaming himself for Jungo’s death and trying to make up for it. Even when it got him killed. Twice. 

Kiriya twirls his pen between his fingers. He considers himself an adaptable guy. Maybe he should find someone else to hook up with. Someone not Emu. He’s been working at the hospital long enough to know who’s gay and who isn’t… But the idea of detached sex isn’t as appealing as it might have once been, and he’s self-aware enough to know it won’t chase the hollow feeling in chest.    

He blows on the air, suddenly feeling a lot more tired than he did a minute ago. Therapy has got him too introspective.  Kiriya didn’t love the idea at first, but Saiko wrote him a referral after getting his human body back and hearing he was in it made his parents happy. Two birds, one stone. They started to worry about him, after Jungo died, and it’s only gotten worse in the years following the mysterious disappearance he was never quite able to explain away as “a long bender.” 

The door to Kiriya’s office creaks open, and when he looks up, Hojo Emu is poking his head through with a shy, anxious expression on his face. 

“Kiriya-san,” he says, polite and soft, before gently sliding the door shut behind him. “Am I interrupting anything?” 

“Nah. Slow day.” Kiriya closes the file in front of him with the back of his pen and leans back in his chair to give Emu a quick once over. “You alone?”

Emu nods. “Mhm. Parad’s at home today.” 

 How domestic and sweet. 

“Behaving himself?” Kiriya ventures.

“Yep! He’s getting better at doing, like, chores and stuff,” Emu’s eyes slip away from him and he stares at a spot in the floor, with a look that’s both affectionate and shy. “He’s actually a pretty good cook. I think Taiga-san might give him a job at his hospital soon… We’ll see.” 

“Nice. Feel bad for Hanaya, though. Bug boy and Nico sound kind of a headache together.”  
  
“I know, right?” He says through a laugh. “I think it will be good for him, though.”

“Parado or Hanaya?” 

Emu hums to himself before his lips curve into a wry smile and he answers,  “Both.”

There's a beat of silence, where they exchange smiles (Kiriya very resolutely doesn’t think about kissing him, about Emu’s hands on his chest, or how smooth his skin is, or the heat of Emu’s body closer to his). The moment passes, and Kiriya rocks in his chair a little, before giving Emu a considering look. 

“How’ve you been, Emu?”

“Good!” Emu responds brightly. “Work _never_ calms down, but things with Parado are … really good. Better than they ever have been, really. He can be kinda difficult sometimes, but. It’s weird? Even with, like, my boyfriends in college, I always felt … kinda alone. But with Parado, I never feel that way.” 

“Nice,” Kiriya replies, but it tastes insincere. Which sucks, because he wants nothing more than for Emu to be happy. The thought of him ever being hurt makes Kiriya feel ugly and sick, and the wide, expectant look in his eyes makes Kiriya want to say it, “I’m really glad you’re happy, Emu.”

“Thank you, Kiriya. How about you? I haven’t seen you at all outside of work, and even then...” 

Right... It’s been  — What? A week since he dropped off those files from Genetics? Two? Maybe more. Kiriya doesn’t have the best concept of time, admittedly.

“Yeah, well, we’ve both been busy.”

“You’re such a liar, Kiriya,” Emu whines. He narrows his eyes, sharp and discerning. “Have you been avoiding me?”

And so what if he has? And what can he say in his defense, other than he needs the space to get over how bad he’s got it? He’s come a long way since first meeting Emu, but isn’t that honest. 

“No,” he lies.

“Well, then, do I need to get shot again to see you?” It’s meant as a joke, but Kiriya doesn’t laugh. Threats to Kiriya’s own life rarely frazzle him, but hearing Emu had been hurt had been the first — maybe the second — most terrifying moment of Kiriya’s life. Emu gives him a look that wraps a hand around his heart and threatens to squeeze the truth out of him. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too,” he says immediately, and Kiriya wants to hit himself for being so easily worked over by pretty brown eyes. 

But Emu’s anxious expression melts into one of fondness, and it feels like stepping out of the dark into warm sunshine. Shit.

Emu’s eyes gleam with excitement. “Why don’t you come over on Friday? I just moved into my new place, and I have wine. Parado can cook… Honestly, we fight a lot when we play video games and we could use an impartial judge.” 

Kiriya’s heart swells, whatever emotion that indicates. He’s happy to know Emu still thinks he’s worth the trouble, but there’s no way he can spend that much time with him -- with Parad, Emu’s boyfriend, who he doesn’t dislike but doesn’t _like_ either, _there_ \-- and not have his feelings become obvious. Emu always seems to read him so well, and recent events have charged feelings he was content to let simmer into overdrive. Kiriya feels like a ticking time bomb, counting down until his secrets are out. 

With or without the threat of exposure, it’s easier. To him push away, rather than think about pulling him close and kissing him sweet. 

“Can’t. Getting drinks with Nishi,” he says. His own voice feels stiff, but Emu seems to accept the answer well enough. 

“Mm. Next week then?”

“Next week,” Kiriya replies, but it tastes like a lie. 

  
  
  
  


When he steps into his office, Kiriya is reading an article about Tokyo’s mortality rate Nishi linked him. He looks up when hears some electronic twittering, and no less than twenty four hours after his conversation with Emu, Parad is lying across his desk in a white lab coat, staring up at his handheld, his long legs dangling ridiculously off the edge of the wood. 

“What are you doing here, bug boy?” 

“Not even a hello? So rude, Lazer.” He sits up and smiles at him, a show of sharp teeth and obvious mischief. “I accept you’re important to Emu, and you killed Dan Kuroto, so I’m nice to you. You should be more polite.”

“Uh-huh.” He sits down in his chair and gives Parad a stern look. “You up to something, brat?”

“No,” Parad answers, but his tone is sweet enough that Kiriya doesn’t believe him. “Emu said you were lonely, and I get bored when he’s working.” 

Kiriya snorts. Yeah. Parad’s become a known presence around the hospital these last few years. He’s usually on the Pediatrics floor though, lurking by the nurse’s station for Asuna, or using his powers or his skill at games to amuse Emu’s patients. The Bugster Virus isn’t kept behind closed doors like it was when Kiriya first started investigating it, and a few months after their final battle with Genmdeus, just after making the decision themselves (thanks to Emu’s tireless advocacy). The Health Ministry released a statement to the hospital staff along the lines of, ‘He’s A Bugster, His Name Is Parado, He Does Not Bite (Anymore),‘ like a combini putting a sign up about the cat they feed. 

“Did he?” He answers, feigning disinterest as well as he knows how. Everything inside him is screaming at him to get a grip, because the last thing he needs is Emu feeling _sorry_ for him. 

“Emu talks about you all the time. He worries about you a lot, and I hate it. ”

Kiriya can’t help himself, “Jealous?”

“I’m not interested in competing with you, Lazer.”

And neither is Kiriya. He glances up from his tablet, and Parad is grinning stupidly at him. He’s cute, Kiriya will give him that. Kiriya’s eyes move down to catch the sight of Emu’s ID badge pinned to his chest: an easy subject change, “You know impersonating a doctor is illegal, right?”  
  
Parad shows no obvious signs of caring, just flicks the Hello Kitty pin on Emu’s coat and keeps smiling. “I’m a bugster. The law doesn’t apply to me.”

“Right.” 

He leans over to place his elbow on Kiriya’s desktop, squashing his cheek with his fist. “What is it you do around here? Emu said you solve crimes, like _Detective_ _Mighty_.” 

Kiriya half-snorts, half-laughs. “Sometimes. Mostly I cut open dead old people.”

“That doesn’t sound exciting.” 

“And … what? Ace has you convinced you can change that?” 

“It’s so cute you call him that. Why don’t you call me that, too? I’m just as talented as him, if not more.” He places his hand down on Kiriya’s desktop, and raps on the shiny blank screen. “Do you have any games on here?” 

  


  
  
  
  


The visits don’t stop. Parad keeps coming to see him, carving out his own little space for himself in Kiriya weekly routine. Enough for him to get used to Parad, appearing with a smile that always reads more dangerous than it does adorable. He scared out the hell out of Nishi once, giving Kiriya his first sincere laugh in what feels like years. 

“Parado, what are you doing?” Parad doesn’t always pick on human cues, and doesn’t have the best concept of personal space.  
  
“Smelling your hair. It’s nice. Almost as good as Emu’s.”

He’s cute, too, in a bit of annoying way. A bit of Emu’s personality shines through, from how his eyes dance when he’s up to something to how ridiculously loud he is when he plays games. Like yelling at the screen will actually help him win at all. 

Parad’s a bit distracting from work, but not enough for Kiriya to actually get into trouble for it.  Not that the hospital would ever fire him, or any of the other doctors at the cutting edge of The Bugster Virus that’s garnered them world-wide attention. 

(Job security is pretty much the ultimate upside of being a superhero.)

He catches Emu on his way out of CR a few days later, staring at his clipboard and clicking a pen absent-mindedly (it’s a cute one, too, with blue and neon yellow camouflage like _Bang Bang Shooting_ ). Kiriya slips in front of Emu without him noticing, steps right in front of his path, and gives him a gentle touch on the arm.

“Hey, ace.” 

“Kiriya!” Emu looks like he’s seen a ghost, before his expression melts into a fond smile. It makes Kiriya’s heart do flips, like an excited puppy. Damn. “I was just about to go see Saiko-sensei, if you wanted to come with me and say hi?”

“Don’t have the time, babe. You know how my patients need constant supervision.”

“You’re so lame, Kiriya.” Emu tries for an eye roll, but his smile goes crooked and it doesn’t come entirely through. “Did you need something?”

“Nothing, just -- you know your boyfriend’s been coming by my neck of the woods a lot...”

Emu’s eyes glitter mischievously and his lips twist into a happy smirk. “Well, if he tries to get you to lick a game cartridge, don’t do it. It’s a trap. They make them taste bad so kids don’t eat them.”

“Does that work?”

“Well, I haven’t seen any of my patients do it, but it didn’t stop Parado,” Emu mutters, before tilting his head and looking at him all bright-eyed and curious. “He’s not bothering you, is he? Because I’m like, totally not in control of him, so it’s better to talk to him about it than it is to me...”

“Nah, just … I don’t know why.”

Emu’s eyes slip away from him as his expression turns sheepish and a faint pink colors his cheeks. So soft, and disarmingly cute. “Honestly, that’s probably my fault,” Emu confesses. “I was being super being mope-y about you ignoring me, and this is probably his weird way of trying to solve the problem himself. He's a little difficult like that. It shouldn’t be an issue anymore, since we’re talking again… And if he’s not bothering you...” 

“Right.”

“It’s a little unfair, isn’t it?” Emu replies with a smile. Almost a little sly. “I never get to see you and he gets to come by all the time. I still _owe_ you wine.”

“Hey, you know how it gets when we get new interns,” Kiriya says, thankful to the season for giving him such a handy excuse this time around. “Reminds me of you, all clumsy and doe-eyed.”

“ _Hey_.”

Kiriya squeezes his arm. “I’ll catch you during lunch, alright sweetheart?”

Emu’s pouty look quickly breaks out in a happy grin. “For sure, Kiriya.”

 

  
  
  


The following Thursday, Kiriya works into his lunch break, doing a check of a check one of the new interns did on an autopsy report before it leaves the doors of the hospital. 

He plans on skipping the meal. Not a big deal, it happens occasionally, until Parad walks into his office. Actually walks in this time, doesn’t appear right behind him or on his computer while he’s typing up an email to his boss. He appears like he normally does, standard video game outfit, but with a yellow lunch box strapped to his shoulder. 

“Got a present for me, bug boy?”

“I brought you lunch,” Parad explains, before starting to unzip the cooler. 

“I can see that.”

 

Kiriya opens the bento box -- it’s baby pink, with Mighty wearing a head mirror instead of his normal googles -- and yep, it’s food. Actual, real food. An adorable assortment of carbs, veggies, and fruits, like his parents used to make for him before going to school. It smells good, too.

Kiriya looks between him and the little egg sandwiches, cut into stars. 

“You made this?”

“Yes. I made one for Emu and had leftovers, so I brought one for you.”

“Right.” 

Parad watches intently as Kiriya cracks opens the pink chopstick case. 

“Is it good?” Parad asks, an eager look in his eye after Kiriya takes his first bite.. 

It is. Better than grabbing a snack from one of the vending machines, or having curry everyday in the cafeteria. 

“ _Almost_ as good as my parent’s,” Kiriya teases. “Don’t take it too personal, though, they’re professionals.” 

"I feel very privileged, Lazer.  You never talk about yourself.” 

Kiriya doesn't quite laugh, but he comes close. He keeps eating with Parad watching him intently. That’s fine, one of his weird inhuman quirks, only a little creepy, until — 

“It’s silly of you to try and avoid Emu,” he says. “He likes you so much, and he’s very stubborn, so there’s no point.”

Kiriya huffs again. He’s pretty sure knows that better than anybody. “I’m not avoiding him. I’m just busy,” he replies.

“You’re a liar.” 

Kiriya smiles. “And here I thought M only told you good things about me...” 

“He hasn’t told me everything,” Parad replies, and Kiriya sincerely hopes that’s true. “Also you can’t lie to me, because I’ve spent time in Forensics now, and I’ve seen how you work.” 

Kiriya huffs, more amused than annoyed. “What’s your angle, bug boy? Hoping your sweet home cooking will get me tender and honest?” 

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?” Parad asks him suddenly. 

Kiriya full-on snorts. There was a time when a question like that would have triggered his primal fight-or-flight response, but now it just pulls the corner of his lip into an amused smirk. He wipes some of the crumbs from his mouth, and very decisively doesn’t look at Parad as he picks at the rest of the food.“Not looking for one right now.” 

“Have you ever had a boyfriend?”

“Sure.” Kiriya answers curtly. Even if it doesn’t set him off like it used to, he doesn’t _love_ people prying into his past, especially in respect to his relationships. He smiles at Parad, wide and easy,  with the intention of being disarming. “Why the interest? Do I got a secret admirer I don’t know about?”

Parad frowns at him.  “Emu worries about you a lot.”

“So you’ve said.”

“I promised him I’d bring these to you.” 

Kiriya clicks his tongue. “And here I thought we had something special going on.”

  


  
  


Kiriya likes the night shift. He leans more towards nocturnal than any normal human and kinda enjoys the ominous atmosphere. At this hour, the loudest sound in the surgical wing is the buzz of the fluorescent lights, and administration only keeps the bare minimum staff on the clock to keep the place operational ( _Ha_.), even if everyone is almost always on call.

“Pass me the stapler, would ya?” Kiriya asks from behind the glass door of this floor’s vending machine, cracked wide open. 

Parad rustles around in the duffle bag on his shoulder before slapping the plastic into his palm. Kiriya gives the rows of snacks a careful look, before taking out a sweet roll and replacing it.

“Why did you steal a copy of the keys for vending machine?” Parad asks, while handing him a frame. Kiriya gives it a moment’s consideration, and laughs through his nose. It’s of Kagami winning some fancy award abroad. Switzerland, it looks like. “I could have just taken control of the machine, or phased through the glass. You only asked me to teleport into Brave’s office and unlock the door for you.”

Kiriya doesn’t quite smile, but he comes close. Not at the statement, but at the memories it brings to the front of his mind. Parad’s a pretty good partner-in-crime. Kiriya’s already gotten Parad to pop out at some of the interns from under a sheet, and take control of Nishi’s computer when he wasn’t looking. Kiriya couldn’t keep a straight face, watching Nishi get more and more frustrated as his computer opened up an ear-splittingly loud game of pinball and ten different tabs of the same annoying bubblegum pop song. Just when Kiriya asked him to do something simple, like bring up an old case file. 

“I couldn’t get a copy of Kagami’s keys, and can’t go through the phone lines anymore.”

“I see.” 

He checks his phone, _2:15am_ , which means he has plenty of time before people with rounds start to pour in, and about an hour before Emu’s predicted to get out of the surgery that held him over night. 

They return to his office; Kiriya in the chair in front of his computer, and Parad in the seat across from him. It’s usually meant for colleagues, funeral directors, or cops, but Kiriya’s come to know it as Parad’s chair now in his head.

“That was fun, Lazer,” Parad tells him, before tilting his head in a way that reminds him of Emu when he’s curious. “Do you miss having powers?”

“A little bit, yeah. But it’s nice to be human again.”  

Parad looks at him like this idea is somehow unfathomable, “You didn’t like being a bugster?”

It’s a good question. A weighted one. Kiriya pauses, slowly rocking back and forth in his chair, to give it a good amount of consideration. Being a Bugster was _fun._ He liked to mess with people, and his Bugster abilities gave him plenty of opportunities to do so, but --  

“Bugsters don’t die, not like humans do,” Kiriya answers decisively. “Most people are scared of death, but not me. I find it comforting. Here for a good time, not a long time, you know?”

Parad nods. “Death is what gives life meaning. I understand that.” 

Kiriya hums. He supposes that’s true, even if wasn’t always. 

“That’s kind of a grimmer way to put it, but yeah,” he replies. Kiriya considers Parad across his desk for a moment, and thinks to himself, not for the first time, that Parad is lethal in more than just one way. The ridiculous outfit makes it hard to tell immediately, but Parad’s pretty. Just as sweet and angel-faced as Emu, but in a different way. Kiriya wonders what he’d look like, dressed in everyday clothes.“You could do with some more human experience,” Kiriya decides. “You eat at all?”

“Sometimes. Why?” 

Kiriya gets up and crosses the room to a plastic bin where he and Nishi keep their curated collection of take out menus. He starts flipping through the corners for places he knows are still open and hands Parad a few. 

“You brought me food,” Kiriya says, sitting down on the edge of the desk. “And I know M can’t cook for shit, so let me treat you to something good.”

Parad’s eyes twinkle up at him through his lashes. “Anything I want?” 

“Yep.”

Parad pulls out a green and orange menu and turns it over in his hand. “I’ve never had Indian food before.” 

“Then there ya go. Read the number out loud for me, yeah?” Kiriya goes reaching into his back pocket for his phone, and smirks while looking at his home screen. It’s pretty much barren except for a hook-up app he never uses and whatever his phone came installed with. “Hey, what game is it you’re playing right now? Think I could take you in a little 1v1?”

“In your dreams, Lazer.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


It’s always this: His throat is full of rain water, and Emu is holding him, but he can’t speak. He’s choking, he’s watching his skin spark with gold static, and he reaches, but his hand disappears before he can touch Emu’s face.

This time, a few pushes at his shoulder cut the dream short.

Kiriya jolts up, eyes wide. He’s in his office. Parad is staring at him, eyes black and curious, and momentarily, he forgets to breathe. 

“Sorry for waking you,” Parad says. His voice is softer than Kiriya has ever heard it, and he can’t shake the feeling of being displaced. “It looked like you were having a bad dream.”

He had been. Again. Kiriya shakes his head, and gives a deep, world-weary sigh. 

“Eh, better you than my boss,” he mutters. Kiriya leans back in his chair and rakes a hand through his hair, already out of style from mussing it in his sleep. Feeling himself fade from existence twice isn’t a fun feeling, and neither is the lack of sleep that results from it. 

(The memory of hearing Emu was shot has been rearing its ugly head in his dreams lately too. Kiriya doesn’t think he’s ever run that fast.) 

“Emu gets nightmares sometimes, too,” Parad says, in the low, honest way he does (For someone who schemes so often and obviously, he has a startling way of being earnest). 

Kiriya slumps further down in his chair. Shit. He doesn’t want to think about that, or how The Bugster Virus has taken so much from all of them. Not that he holds it against Parad in particular. Or Poppy. They never asked to be born, and suffered because of Kuroto just as much. And they never got to make peace like he did, killing him nearly a hundred times over. Kiriya rubs a hand down his face, and cracks his fingers open to look at Parad. “Do me a favor?”

“Yes?”

“Make me a coffee,” Kiriya orders. The lethargy still persists, as well as the taste of rain water in his mouth. “You gotta do something other than distract me if you want to spend your time here.”

The idea of this seems to offend Parad, somehow. “You spend more time spinning in your chair than doing work.”

“It helps me think.” 

Parad looks like he doesn’t believe him, then pixelates out of existence. He reappears five minutes later, with a steamy ceramic mug that says _World’s Best Son_ in thick black letters. 

“Did you steal that from Kagami?” Kiriya asks as it clicks down on his desk. 

“I don’t know, did I?” Parad gives him a considering look for a few moments. He leans back against the desk and starts to swing his legs. “Bugsters don’t need to sleep. Is it hard to adjust now that your body is human?”

Kiriya snorts. _Must be_ , Kiriya thinks, but doesn’t say. Parad doesn’t need to know his trouble sleeping has stretched back years. It’s not his business, and he definitely doesn’t need Parad tattling to Emu about it. He’ll get all concerned, and then Parad will nag him for making Emu worry. An awful, hellish feedback loop that makes it impossible for him to self-destruct in peace. 

“Watch it, bug boy, before I start thinking you care.”

“I do care. You’re important to Emu, which means you’re important to me.”

“Yeah? I don’t see you doting on Kagami or Hanaya like this.” 

“You’re more fun.”

“Flatterer,” he mutters while lifting the warm mug to his lips. But he spits back into the cup in the same moment. Awful. “This tastes like motor oil.”

Parad smiles, broad and silly. Annoyingly cute.“You’d know, wouldn’t you?”

Kiriya glares at him over this cup. “Shut up and go get me some sweetener.” 

  
  
  


Kiriya has court in the morning on Tuesday. Ocassionally being a expert witness on a murder case is part of being a medical examiner. Nothing too complicated, just giving a presentation on the evidence in terms anyone can understand. Persuading a jury is always less about the science anyway and more about the charm, the later of which he has plenty.

“You look nice, Lazer,” Parad says when he comes through the door.

Kiriya smiles. “Yeah?” He asks, the moment he tugs off his tie (a christmas present from Kagami. Shiny and expensive, albeit passive-aggressive). 

“What’s the occasion?” 

“Just some mild murder.” He starts unbuttoning his shirt and steps over to the grey metal cabinet where he keeps some spare clothes, in case of rainy days like these where he needs to wear a tie for more than a few hours or in case any bodily fluids start gushing at him. Typical occupational hazards.

Kiriya lets the suit jacket and the dress shirt fall off his shoulders, exposing his bare back to the cold air. He spares Parad a glance over his shoulder and yeah, he’s looking. His expression is blank, but his eyes are dark and focused. He’s looking at him like he’s something worth being looked at, and the corner of Kiriya’s lips pull up into a smirk. He loves moments like this, moments where he can catch Parad off-guard and erase all his bratty smugness. 

He can’t help himself. “Like what you see?” 

Parad blinks at him, and Kiriya grins. It’s a fun duality with Parad, how quickly he can go from looking like a hungry wolf to a confused little puppy.

Parad’s lips look wet the moment he opens his mouth, “I —“

Kiriya laughs while pulling a new shirt over his shoulders. A red one today, with green palms and yellow flowers.

“Relax, babe. I’m just teasing. You’re lucky you haven’t walked in on worse, since you rather pop out of my answering machine than knock.” 

“Babe?” 

Kiriya hums. He’s good at reading people, and by now, he knows how to flip Parad’s switches. Nicknames are second nature to Kiriya, and with time, Kiriya’s set for Parad in particular have become more affectionate than chiding. And it’s hard to help flirting just a little. He still does it with Emu, because it always makes him smile, and even Hanaya, because the dramatic way he rolls his eyes makes Kiriya laugh. And Parad is attractive in his own right, with sexy long legs and a dangerous smile. Not to mention, having Parad around makes Kiriya feel good, like someone has released a pressure valve inside him. 

“Habit,” Kiriya explains, but when he turns around, Parad’s chair is spinning idly in his place. 

  
  
  


“I haven’t seen bug boy in a few days,” Kiriya points out to Emu during their shared lunch break. He’s not really curious, he tells himself, like he doesn’t already know his days are better for having Parad in them. He’s just making conversation, and Emu lights up at the chance to gush about his boyfriend.

(And it doesn’t hurt. Not in the way it used too, at least.)

Emu moves the food around on his tray and smiles fondly. “I barely have either. A new Mighty game just came out, and he’s like, totally obsessed.” 

“Right.” 

“... Are you disappointed?” 

“Nah.” 

“Hmm. I just thought — You two have been spending a lot of time together recently...” 

“I guess so...” 

Emu gives him one of those looks, like his stare can unhook something inside him and let all his secrets out (and it might as well be able to, the way Kiriya feels about him).

“Are you hiding something?” Emu asks. 

Kiriya feigns nonchalance as he takes another bite off his fork, “Why would you say that?”

Emu narrows his eyes. “You’re not as good at lying as you think you are, Kiriya.”

“Yeah? You’re the only one I ever seem to have a problem with.” 

“ _Someon_ e has to worry about you if you’re not going to worry about yourself... And you’re being weird and cage-y, which usually means you’re up to something. You’d tell me if you were investigating something dangerous again, right?”

“I’m staying out of trouble, Emu. Cross my heart.”

“Then there’s something else is going on with you...” Emu gives him that look again. There’s a weighted pause, like Emu’s carefully considering what he’s going to say next. “He talks about you a lot, you know.”

Kiriya snorts. “He said the same thing about you.”

“Did he…? Ugh.” Emu narrows his eyes, but smiles. “Promise to stop him before he tells you any embarrassing things from when we were a teenager.” 

“Now that’s just an invitation.” 

Emu kicks him under the table. 

“Aw, c’mon, ace.”

“Seriously though, I’m happy you guys are getting along,” Emu continues. “Parad needs more friends outside of Poppy and me, and you know Nico’s busy with med school and is always out of town for tournaments... And you two are both really important to me.”

“Of course, angel.”

Emu looks away, but the corner of Emu’s lip quirks upward as he ducks his chin. Adorable, something that immediately warms Kiriya’s center. “... Are you free for lunch again tomorrow? We could go somewhere outside the hospital this time. Hiiro recommended this fancy french bakery to me that just opened nearby. I think Asuna and Saiko-sensei went together yesterday…”

_“_ Oh yeah?” Kiriya asks conspiratorially. That’s another new development since he died and came back to life again, the doctor and the nurse getting closer. It’s obvious, in the private smiles they share and how much more personal time Poppy takes now (and good for her, to have something all to herself, all human. Something that has nothing to do with Dan Kuroto). Kiriya’s smile quickly turns sly, “Sounds romantic.” 

“That’s not an answer.” Emu replies sternly. He nudges Kiriya’s foot with his under the table, easy and familar. “You still need to come over and see my new place. Nico came over last week and helped my set up a VR rig. It’s pretty epic.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I will,” Kiriya gives him a reassuring smile, and is thankful an excuse comes authentic and easy. “Remind me another time, okay? I got the night shift this week.” 

 

 

  
  


Speak of the devil. Parad ends up appearing during the night shift the next evening, while Emu’s staying with a patient who asked for more than what Emu’s job really requires of him. 

(But that’s Emu, who goes above and beyond to help, who tries to get to know everyone, with the sheer force of his stubbornness if not with his solar-powered smile. God knows it worked on him, and then some.) 

The hour’s late, past midnight, and Kiriya’s feeling more burn-out by the minute, absorbing less and less of the autopsy report he’s reading. He drops his head into his hands and rakes a hand through his hair. Maybe trying out a normal sleep schedule was to his detriment after all. Maybe he should ask Parad to give his chair a quick spin; that might give him the energy he needs to focus. He peers at the bugster on the other side of his desk, totally absorbed in whatever game he’s playing on Kiriya’s tablet. Nothing to worry about, if it doesn’t have microtransactions. 

“You bored?” Kiriya ventures. 

“Yes,” Parad replies immediately. “This game is broken. I’ve been trying to get this jump perfect all day and can’t.”

“Wanna get out of here?”

Parad looks at him curiously. “Won’t that get you into trouble?”

“Trouble’s my middle name.” 

“Lame,” Parad replies, and scrunches his face up. Bratty, but plenty cute. “M’s right, Lazer. You’re so corny.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m serious, though.” He grins, all teeth and all charm. “I got too much blackmail on everyone to be fired.” 

(Not because he’s a certified superhero, and one of the best pathologists in the country to boot.)  

Parad rolls his eyes and turns back to the tablet. Kiriya leans over to take the keys for his bike from inside his desk, and dangles them from his finger with a grin. Parad looks back up at him.

“You wanna go for a drive?” 

  
  


Their first stop is the convenience store. 

“Have you played poker before?” Kiriya asks while typing his PIN into the ATM’s keypad.

“Yes,” Parad replies, and Kiriya raises a curious brow at him. “There’s a JuJu Burger with a Texas Hold ‘em minigame.”

“That game teach you how to bluff at all?” 

“Is that where we’re going? Gambling?” 

“You’re not going _anywhere_ dressed like that,” Kiriya points out while tucking the fresh bills into his wallet. Parad’s outfit doesn’t draw a lot of eyes during the day in the crowded city, but where they’re going, it’s best not to stand out. He leans down to pick up a magazine, a TV guide advertising a new action show, and flips to a full-page spread of one of the pretty boy actors. He taps the page. “Wear this.” 

Technicolor pixels shine across his body, and Parad mimics the outfit thread for thread. A black sweater with a high-collar, an expensive-looking coat, and dark jeans that make his legs look good. Mmm. 

“Alright, nice.” Kiriya gives him a good look and … Yeah, he checks him out. He runs his teeth over his bottom lip, just for a moment. It’s so much harder not to notice just how handsome Parad is, when he’s not in those ridiculous pajamas. As good-looking as the actor who modelled the outfit originally, maybe more so, and taller too. Kiriya smiles and claps him on the arm.“You clean up nice, bug boy.”

Parad sourly rubs the spot he hit. Kiriya lowers his chin as they move through the aisle of snacks. Kiriya’s not a lightweight by any definition of the word, but it’s never a bad idea to eat before he drinks. 

“Anything else you want before we leave?” Kiriya asks before moving to check out. 

Parad hands him something from the rack at the end of the aisle. Kiriya tilts his chin up to give him a questioning look and he has that smile, the one a kid gets buttering their parents up before admitting they broke something. He turns it over the piece of plastic — a purple gift card, that comes with twenty five hundred yen and whatever the hell an _Epic Anniversary Bundle_ is. 

“What is _Overdrift_?” 

“It’s a racing game. It has better online than Bakusou Bike, and I need the Motor Bucks to upgrade my car,” Kiriya tries his best for an unimpressed look, and Parad pouts. “Please.” 

Kiriya laughs through his nose. Now he sees why Emu is setting up Parad with a job of his own. “Spoiled brat,” Kiriya says, but doesn’t put the card away. _I’ll get it for him so Emu doesn’t have to_ , he tells himself. He holds the card up between them and smirks. “You behave yourself tonight and I’ll buy you ten more of these.” 

Parad smiles down at him and flutters his lashes. “Of course, Lazer.”

“Is ace really that persuaded by those sweet looks?” Kiriya asks, somewhere between sardonic and fond. “And tonight, you call me Kiriya.”

“Fine, then. I’ll be good for you, Kiriya.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

 

  
  
  


The second stop is the bar.  A seedy, dive-kind of place, not like the pub he took Emu to when they went for drinks on Christmas Eve. The smell of tobacco greets them at the door, and the bartender, who knows Kiriya already. 

They grab some stools at the end of the counter. The bartender comes over to him, asks Kiriya if he wants his usual. He prefers the sweet stuff, but he gets something different for the occasion. He slides the drink over to Parad when it’s ready, making the ice clink. 

Parad gives the glass a questioning look, then looks to Kiriya. 

“Can I get drunk?”

“Believe me, you can.” 

Parad smells it hesitantly and makes a sour face. Parad stares at him for a few moments, and Kiriya gives him one of his best smiles, the one that lets him get away every time the nurses catch him doing something he’s technically not supposed to. Parad wraps his fingers around the glass and raises it to his lips.

His face scrunches up as soon the liquid hits his tongue. He sticks his tongue out, as if that’ll help at all. It’s one of the most adorable things Kiriya has ever seen, like a baby with a lemon, and Kiriya nearly goes breathless with laughter while Parad gives a full-body shudder. So sensitive for a bugster. 

Parad scowls. “This stuff is good for humans? _How_?” 

“It’s definitely not good for you, but it _does_ make you feel good.” Kiriya can’t keep the smile off his face and raises his fingers for the bartender again. “Don’t worry, princess, I’ll get you something sweeter.”

“Princess?”

“You know.” Kiriya’s smile turns into a full-on grin, shameless. “Pretty, Spoiled.” 

“You can do better, Lazer.”

“ _Kiriya_ ,” he reminds him. 

“Sorry.” 

The bartender sets down a new drink in front of him and Kiriya swaps it for the bitter one.

“Peach Highball,” Kiriya explains, then juts out his chin. “Try it.” 

“Is this what Emu likes?” 

Kiriya brings his drink to his lips and smiles. “From my experience? Yeah.” 

“You went drinking with Emu before you two had sex,” Parad says, looking at him with big eyes and taking a pointed sip of his drink. 

Kiriya chokes. A new sensation; his human body has a gag reflex, and his bugster body didn’t. He almost spits his drink, but catches himself just in time. 

“He told you about that?” 

“Duh. Our hearts are one. I’ve told you that.” Kiriya gives him an incredulous look, then Parad elaborates, “Which means there are no secrets between us.” 

“A human wouldn’t be so casual about that,” Kiriya points out, because Parad doesn’t sound mad, jealous, or even awkward. He says it so earnestly, like he’s observing the weather. “I fucked your boyfriend. That’s not something you just forget.” 

The corner of Parad’s lips quirk up in a way that feels totally disarming. “I think about it, if that’s you’re suggesting.”

Heat flares up inside him immediately  — that’s another thing about being human, the stronger physical reactions in lieu of his emotions. _Focus, Kujo._ This night won’t go well for him if he spends the entirety of it thinking with his dick. 

“You can’t just say shit like that.” 

“Why? Does it bother you?” 

“No, but it doesn’t sound like what you think it does. Finish up your drink and we’ll head for the back room,” Kiriya smiles at him. “That’s where the party is.” 

Kiriya leaves throws a few bills on the bar and walks towards a nondescript white door in the back of the bar. It opens to a dimly-lit stock room. Parad follows him to a cream-colored curtain towards the back, and when he opens it, there’s a cheap, half-lit chandelier and a wooden poker table with some of the faces Kiriya’s used to, looking at him expectantly. 

Parad leans down to his height. “Is this legal?” He whispers. 

“You’re a bugster,” Kiriya reminds him. “The law doesn’t apply to you.”

Parad narrows his eyes, as if to say, _Emu wouldn’t like this_ , and Kiriya smiles. _Trust me._

Kiriya grabs a wooden chair from behind Parad and pulls it up to the table.

“What’s the game tonight, gentlemen?” 

“Five-card stud, nothing wild. Deal’s mine. You in, Kujo?” 

“Don’t let him in,” Watanabe — Kiriya recognizes the man from scar on his brow — protests, ”The coroner works with _cops._ ”   
  
“Yeah? You want me to tell them how you really got your kid into that fancy highschool a few streets over? Get the hell out of my seat.”

The man gives him a look that makes Hanaya’s worst sneers look pleasant. He throws down his cards and leaves, roughly bumping Parad’s shoulder on his way out. Parad rubs the spot sorely and sits down in the chair Kiriya pulled up. The dealer — Nakamura — turns up his chin. 

”Who’s the pretty boy...? He looks lost.” 

“He’s with me. You got a problem with that?”

The man huffs. “No,” he replies, but the glare on his face says otherwise. 

“Alright then, ante up, twenty thousandy yen,” one of the other men continues, and the round begins. 

For the first time, Kiriya sees firsthand that _Genius_ Gamer is more than just a title. He half-worried the skill wouldn’t carry over, but if Parad lost his money, then so be it. Kiriya’s not that material of a guy, and his salary doesn’t exactly leave him wanting for more. Kiriya gambles more for the thrill, but the dark, laser-focused determination in Parad’s eyes exhibits a whole ‘nother philosophy. A single-minded dedication towards winning. 

Last position, Kiriya puts down a flush with a satisfied smirk. If his hand wins ...

The table groans and tosses their cards down in frustration. Kiriya leans back in his chair, and he juts his chin out at Parad, a gesture to collect their winnings from the center of the table.

“Good game, boys.”

“You’re a pain in the ass, Kujo” one of the men mutters bitterly. 

“Go to hell, you lucky asshole.” 

“Yeah? I got my good luck charm with me,” Kiriya replies. His eyes slide over to Parad while nudging his foot under the table, and Parad’s eyes shine with pride 

Nakamura folds his arms across his chest. “The two of you bled us dry.”

Sho clicks his tongue. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? His friend helped him cheat.”

“Me? Cheat? You got jokes, Sho, I’ll give you that.” 

Sho sticks his chin in the air. Clearly, his winning smile hasn’t put him at ease, so Kiriya ignores him for the head of the table. “C’mon, Nakamura. You know I’m honest.” 

Nakamura narrows his eyes and looks between the both of them. “You, maybe, but your pretty boy friend? No first timer has _ever_ cleaned house like that. I smell a rat.”

“I’m the best at games,” Parad replies, totally unrepentant. And why should he be, if he’s the best?

Kiriya matches his partner’s grin. “He learned from the best, too. What can I say?”

“You can admit you hustled us.”

“What a bunch of sore losers,” Parad whines. “You rather accuse people of cheating than admit you lost? I hate people like you. You take the fun out of games.” 

Daichi smacks the table and bursts out of his chair, glaring at Parad, but Kiriya is up in the same second, meeting him eye-to-eye.

“I like you, Kujo,” Nakamura says with narrowed eyes.  “But I don’t know about your buddy. Have him leave his winnings on the table and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

Kiriya can’t help it, he laughs. Like hell Kiriya’s gotta let him get walked all over like that. Parad earned what he got, and intimidation can’t change the facts.   
  
“Kiss my ass.”

“You’re dead, little man,” Daichi growls. 

He swings, and Kiriya ducks. He’s a big guy; the momentum of his swing causes him to stumble enough that Kiriya has time to kick the man square in the chest, hard enough to make him fall back with the table. 

The men scatter, and Kiriya reaches back for Parad. Parad’s fingers lock around his hand, and Kiriya feels a bolt of adrenaline shoot all the way up his arm. Kiriya throws him a wild smile. 

“You ready for a race, babe?” 

“It’s your game, Lazer.” Parad tells him, and his smile is light and subdued. “I’m just a player.” 

Kiriya tugs on his hand, and together, they sprint out the back door. 

They’re followed into the narrow alley. Kiriya half-expects Parad to look scared in the half-second he spares him a glance, but his eyes dance with excitement. It gives Kiriya’s heart a hell of a feeling, releases something inside him that feels a lot like adrenaline. It makes him feel happy and wild and alive. He’s surges with confidence; If it’s a fight these guys they want, they’ll more than give it to them.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Parad says, as the men attempt to corner them. They’re still holding hands, and Parad’s lips are pressed together in a slight pout. “I’m trying really hard to be good.”

The men laugh uproariously.

"Shoulda thought of that before tryna make suckers of us,” Sho says. 

Then, Nakamura rushes him, and the other two ambush Parad. Thinking he’ll be easy to pick off first probably, and the idea of that makes Kiriya smile as Nakamura moves to punch him. Those sweet angel looks are so deceptive. Nakamura’s hit makes Kiriya stumble, but it isn’t nearly enough to force to knock him down. He’s bigger than Kiriya, but not by much. Kiriya grabs him by the shoulders to pull him forward, and knees him in the stomach. He doubles over easily, giving Kiriya the chance the elbow him over his back. 

In the center of the alley, Sho grabs Parad under the shoulders to keep his arms back, but before Daichi can move to punch him, he teleports out of the hold. A blink later, he appears behind Kiriya’s assailant, now recovered, and kicks him in the back of the knees, making him crumble back to the ground again. 

_  
_ “What the hell is he?” Sho hisses, somewhere between angry and bewildered. 

“Who cares?” Daichi spits. “If he needs more to go down, I’ll give it to him.”

A knife glints in the dim light of the alley before Sho rushes toward them. Parad responds in an instant, shoving Kiriya out of the way, and before Kiriya can properly react, he hears the sick plunge of the blade in Parad’s chest. Kiriya has an instantaneous moment of panic where he forgets Parad isn’t human, before he sees the bugster’s eyes become a degree darker.  

“That hurt,” Parad pouts, like a kid who’s gotten a toy stolen from him, not a man who’s been stabbed. He wraps his fingers around the hilt and pulls it out with ease. 

“What the fuck?” Daichi mutters. He watches with wide, scared eyes as colorful bright pixels knit the tear in Parad’s clothes and skin back together. He stumbles back a few uneasy steps before he trips back on the ground. 

“The guy’s a _monster_ ,” Nakamura pants, while Daichi gracelessly picks himself off the ground.

 “Let’s get the hell out of here,” the other hisses, before the goons sprint towards the open mouth of the alley.

Once they’re out of sight, Kiriya slumps back against the wall. His chest is still rising and falling erratically, and his pulse is pounding hard against his throat when he looks up at Parad. There’s a smile on his face, and his eyes are happy and bright. 

“Scared me there for second, babe,” Kiriya mutters, thinking about the knife Daichi sunk in Parad’s chest. His breathing still isn’t quite right. 

“Are you okay?” 

Kiriya braces his elbow against the wall and gets up before laughing, breathless. “I’ve been kicked out of better places,” he mutters, head bowed towards the wall, before shooting Parad a toothy, self-deprecating smile. Kiriya’s hair is wind-swept and out of style, bangs falling into his eyes. “That wasn’t very smart of us, was it?” 

“That was exciting, Kiriya,” Parad responds, fondly touching his chest. “My heart’s on fire.” 

Kiriya lets out a deep breath and shakes his head. “And you said I’m corny?” 

They return to his bike together, parked in a nearby lot. It’s empty, like the quiet buildings that surround it, except for the white overhead lights and the moon hanging heavy in the sky above them. 

Kiriya can still feel his blood going hot and fast from the fight when he puts down the kickstand to his bike. 

“You did a pretty good job in there, hot shot. You know, for a newbie.” 

“There’s no need to be modest when you praise me, Kiriya,” Parad practically preening for him, and Kiriya has to fight to keep a smile off his face, lest he stoke the bugster’s latent ego. “Card games are like puzzles, and I’m the best at those.”

“Would you listen to yourself? Of course there’s a need. I can’t let your attitude get any worse than it already is.”. 

“But you like me this way, don’t you?” Parad replies, all but proving his point. “That’s why you call me cute nicknames.”

“I call everyone those.” 

“Do you? Or is it only people you like?”  

Yeah, like hell Parad’s getting him to admit that. Kiriya pointedly ignores him while rustling around in his jacket for his keys. 

 “Will they come after you now?” Parad asks. “Emu wouldn’t forgive me if I put you in danger.” 

“No way. After seeing that bugster stuff? They almost pissed.” 

Kiriya can’t see the smile as he turns to rev up the bike, but he hears it in Parad’s self-satisfied tone, “You should be thanking me, then.”

Kiriya huffs. “I promised you some of those game cards, didn’t I?” 

“What if I had something else in mind?” 

“Yeah?” Kiriya snorts and looks up, and with the moonlight reflecting off his skin, Parad looks more like himself than Kiriya has ever seen him — his lips twisted into a smile, his eyes black like the sky. Mischief glimmering in them like stars. “Like what?”

Parad leans down and kisses him. A long, tender pressing of lips, that makes Kirya feel like the world gone has still around them. His lips are cool to the touch, and Kiriya gives in to their gentle urging, closing his eyes as he tilts his chin up to move his lips in a soft, easy way against Parad’s.

When Parad pulls away a few moments later, he has a hand on the back of Kiriya’s neck, and he’s looking at him with thoughtful, dark eyes, watching for a reaction... All the time he’s thought about how Parad’s face and he’s never even noticed how thick his eyelashes are. 

“What’s that for?” Kiriya murmurs.  
  
Parad pouts at him. His bottom lip is full and wet, and the sight makes his skin feel warm against the crisp night air. “You didn’t like it?”

“Nah,” Kiriya sighs, right against his face. He forgot himself, somewhere between the adrenaline of the fight and the soft feeling of Parad’s mouth in his. “Just — Emu...”

“Feels the same way about you,” Parad whispers. Soft, earnest, just like the way he kisses. 

Kiriya can tell Parad really believes that, and Kiriya instantly feels all of his instincts start to scream. He can’t use his bugster powers to teleport away like he might have once done, and Kiriya’s spent to long convincing himself he didn’t stand a chance to accept those words from anyone’s mouth. Maybe even Emu’s, at this point.

Kiriya exhales sharply before jerking his face away and twisting his keys in his bike. “I’m taking you home.”

“You can come home with me,” Parad insists, his face still mere inches away. His fingers are insistent on the back of Kiriya’s neck. “To Emu.” 

Kiriya takes a deep breath. Parad doesn’t know what he’s saying, doesn’t know how that sounds. Kiriya looks at him for a long moment, searching, before whispering, “Do you know what you’re asking me for, sweetheart?” So quiet, like the words could shatter something precious. 

“Yes,” Parad replies, without a single beat of hesitation.

The night is silent around them except for the steady thrum of his bike, and Kiriya can hear his heart in his ears. Can Parad? Can he feel it, beating rapidly beneath his fingers? Kiriya feels fight-or-flight in full force, like he’s going to be eaten alive. Of course, he _wants_ that, for Parad and Emu to just consume with their hands and their kiss, but Kiriya’s sure agreeing to such a thing would kill him. Permanently. He’s a smarter man than he was three years ago, and knows that he’s not nearly as good as separating sex and his feelings as he once thought he was. And his heart has been through too much for him to treat it with the same recklessness he does everything else.

“No,” Kiriya answers. 

Parad looks him with an unreadable expression for a few more moments, and Kiriya feels the heavy weight of each one. Parad’s hand falls slowly, so slowy, off the back of his neck, and the spark in his eyes disappears. “I see.”

“Let’s go,” Kiriya says softly. “It’s late, and the road is still waiting for us.”

  


  
  
  


The next day feels like one of the longest of Kiriya’s life. When he finally goes home, Kiriya finds Emu — just Emu, he knows, because he can actually tell them apart now — in the parking garage, waiting for him by his bike. Emu lights up the moment he sees him, making Kiriya’s heart feel raw and exposed.

“Kiriya,” Emu says, and Kiriya’s not quite sure what to make of his tone. He seems happy to see him, but Kiriya doesn’t think that can be right. The words _he feels the same way about you_ replay in his brain, like they have been all day, but Kiriya shoos them away, like they were a figment of his desperate imagination.

_I’m sorry_ , Kiriya wants to say instead, but the walls of his throat feel too tight to let the words all the way up. _I love you, I never want to hurt you,_ words he’s thought to himself more times than anyone could count, but with _I’ll get over my stupid crush on your boyfriend_ added at the end of the loop.

“Emu,” Kiriya says instead. Nice and even, belying the erratic beating of his heart. “Need a ride home?” 

“No, I just … figured we could take a drive. It’s been a while since we’ve done that. And … We need to talk.”

“Yeah, we do,” Kiriya finishes the walk over to his bike, his heart feeling like a heavy weight in his chest, and takes out his extra helmet. “You pick the place, ace.”

Kiriya’s nerves don’t settle as he watches the road unfolds beneath them.

Emu chooses the harbor. Quiet, far away from everything. Kiriya remembers they chased a bugster out here together once, at the height of their fight with the virus, but now, everything is still except for the glittery reflection of the sun on the water, sinking slow and steady into the horizon. 

Kiriya leans back against the railing and looks at Emu. His skin reflects the golden hue of the setting sun. So soft. It brings out colors in his eyes Kiriya doesn’t think he’s ever seen before, and his heart beats a little faster for it. Damn.

“Did you see Nico won the Tekken World Champion Series?” Emu asks. 

“Yeah. You think I could start training to become a gamer and make that much next year, too?” 

“Parado and I are thinking about going to Seoul next year to support her,” Emu replies. Guilt flips around unpleasantly in Kiriya’s gut at the sound of his name. Emu ducks his head as his lips twist into a smile. “I’m really glad we’re talking again, Kiriya,” he says into the sunset. His cheeks are a warm pink, like the dusky sky. “I miss you a lot when you’re not around.” 

Kiriya turns away. “Sorry. Been busy.”

“Liar,” Emu says, playfully bumping his shoulder. “You told Parado you never have anything to do.” 

“Do you two tell each other everything?”

“We do,” Emu replies softly, and the implication hangs heavy in the air, making everything in Kiriya’s chest coil up way too tight. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you.” 

“Listen, Emu. I know I haven’t always been the best friend to you, but — You’re more important to me than I can ever put into words. I’m sorry —“

“Kiriya,” Emu interrupts. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a good friend. Someone I’ve always relied on. Maybe the person I relied on the most, and … Parado and I talked already.” 

“Yeah, but we haven’t, have we? And I let it happen. You deserve better than that.”  
  
Emu shakes his head. “I know what you must think, Kiriya, but — there’s been a misunderstanding. We talked, and Parado and I. We want to date you... Both of us. Together.”

There’s no way Kiriya heard that right.

He blinks. “You — Bug boy said that?”

Kiriya’s been around. He’s met all kinds of people, all kinds of men. The idea of dating two people at once isn’t completely unheard of to him, but he never considered it. He accepts that it’s what works for some people, but for him? With Emu? With _Parad_ , who always seemed to have a such a fierce possessive streak... 

“He kissed you, didn’t he?” A laugh bubbles out of this throat, before he softens again. “Parado … I told him we should talk to you before doing anything like that, but he has trouble putting his emotions to words sometimes. Obviously. I’m sorry he’s not here, but —  he insisted I’d be way better at having this conversation with you. ” 

Kiriya thinks about the ferocious look in Parad’s eye before he kissed him, and snorts, “Probably a good idea.” 

“I love you, Kiriya,” Emu says softly, reaching out to cover to the tops of Kiriya’s fingers with his. The words, the touch, they feel like an eruption in chest, letting loose all the things he bottled up all at once. “It’s been that way for a while. Even though I’m with Parado, I could never turn off how I felt about you, and … He knew that, and he knew it was tearing me up inside.”

Emu loves him. The thought sounds strange in his head, like a far away fantasy still. It’s what he wanted —something he dreamed about, on his better nights — but there’s a part of Kiriya instinctively wants to flee from it, and the idea of Parad wanting more from him then casual sex. 

“So you …“ Kiriya raises a brow at him. “What? Convinced Parado to work me?”

“I _definitely_ didn’t. I just … Suspected you were avoiding me because you didn’t like him, and said that you two should give each other a chance… And when Parado sets his mind to something, it’s…” 

“Dangerous?” Kiriya offers. 

Emu cracks a smile. “Yeah.”

Kiriya … He didn’t think he was cut out for one relationship, let alone two, and the idea is overwhelming, to say the least. It’s not something he’d say suits him — before — but… He’s done running from good things just ‘cause he’s scared he’ll lose them. 

(He’s starting to get convinced he can’t lose. Hojo Emu. No matter how hard he tries.)

“Emu … I love you, too. I have for years. The way you believed in me … It changed me, you know that? Made me want to be a better person, someone who earned all the faith you put in me. You _—_ made me feel things I thought I was done with, and those feelings … never went away, all these years. I’m starting to feel them for Parado, too, but … It’s different. Different than how I feel about you.” 

“You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Kiriya.” Emu replies, beaming, unspooling something giddy and warm from deep inside him. “And...  That’s okay. You guys don’t have the same history together, and the way you love two people is never the same.” 

And Emu’s right. Love’s not something you can put a number on, and Kiriya knows that better than anyone. He loved Jungo enough to never want to love again, and to compare that to how he feels about Emu _—_ or Parad _—_ would be a disservice to all of them. 

“I know,” Emu continues. “This isn’t the kind of relationship most people would want. Polyamory is complicated and weird. It will still take some figuring out, when all three of us are together, but ..  You want to try it? With us?”

“Of course I do, Emu,” Kiriya replies, turning over his palm to lace their fingers together.

Emu rubs a thumb over the back of his palm. “Are you sure, Kiriya? You can take more time to think about it, if you feel that’s what you need.”

“Nah, I’m sure. And screw most people, you know? I’ve always been a bit of rule-breaker, anyway.” 

Emu smiles, brighter than the sun, and laughs, warm and sincere. It makes Kiriya’s heart flutter in his chest. After all they’ve been through, the sound is more precious than gold.

“Honestly, I feel kinda stupid,” Emu confesses, his face settling back into a shy look. “All these years, I thought … You were so hot and cold with me, I thought there was no way you liked me back.” Emu looks at him and pouts. Absolutely adorable. “You have no idea how much Parado made fun of me for moping about you ...” 

“Emu,” Kiriya says then, biting down on his bottom lip. “Can I do something?”

“Yes,” Emu murmurs. The word is so soft and quiet, but to Kiriya, it feels like an immense release of pressure.

Kiriya reaches out to touch Emu’s jaw. The skin there is softer than Kiriya remembers, and warm from the setting sun. Kiriya leans up on his toes to kiss him, and he puts his all into it. Savoring the feeling of Emu’s beautiful, soft mouth in his, because he has the perfect lips for kissing, and Kiriya has so, so much lost time to make up for. 

Emu’s lips stretch into a smile under his, and he pulls back to cover his face in soft, happy laughter. Both of his palms are warm on either side of Kiriya’s face, melting something inside him that’s long been cold. 

“I can’t believe you two got into a bar fight,” he murmurs. A half-hearted admonishment, soaked in fondness.

“Hey,” Kiriya says, grinning up at him with all his teeth. “From now on, I promise to only be hot with you.” 

Emu shakes his head, but his smile is broad, silly, and in love. “ _This_ is why I told Parado you’re corny.”

 

  


 

That Friday, Kiriya’s more than a little nervous when he arrives at Emu’s. Maybe it’s the anticipation buzzing beneath his skin, maybe it’s the memory of both their mouths on him, and the very real possibility he’ll get more of that tonight. Possibly at the same time. Either way, Emu welcomes him in with an easy smile when he arrives, and Parad’s hands slide over his shoulder to take his jacket to hang up.

Kiriya checks out the apartment as he toes his shoes off. It’s bigger than Emu’s last one, now that he’s no longer a resident. A lot nicer, with a higher ceiling and newer appliances, and it actually has a separate bedroom from what Kiriya can tell. It reads more so home-y and domestic than it does careless bachelor. 

Dinner is more elaborate than Kiriya expects, a mixture of katsu chicken and steamed rice and pickled vegetables. He even has desert prepared. Parad is an excellent cook, just like Emu said (even if Kiriya’s tasted something made by him before, there was a part of Kiriya that half-expected Parad to burn the building down), and he clearly planned the meal far in advance. Emu opens a bottle of wine for him — it’s good, sweet and heady without being too fruit-y — and Parad tries to drink it even if his nose wrinkles at the taste. It doesn’t stop being adorable each time it happens. 

They’re not discussing rules tonight, they both told him, but Emu, who has boasted reading countless articles written by other “triads” and renting a book on the topic, stresses it’s something they really need to do. Sit down and iron out all the edges of their relationship together, poke at the boundaries, talk extensively about their feelings (which, for Kiriya and Parad at least, Emu acknowledged could take some time to do), but for tonight, they’re just enjoying each other’s company, exchanging warm touches and fonds smiles. Lots of kissing, too. 

He says “babe” once, and they both look at him at the same time, with the same wide-eyed curious expression. Almost like they really are the same person, but Kiriya knows they aren’t, because the way they both kiss him afterward is entirely different. Emu’s kiss is soft, gentle, sometimes with the slight twist of smile against his lips. He likes to rest his hands on Kiriya’s chest and always lets Kiriya lead the kiss. Kiriya’s kisses with Parad are entirely different than the first one they shared. Parad’s hands always find his hair, and he always pulls just a little. He likes it harder, is a bit more clumsy but in Kiriya’s mind, he more than makes up for it with eagerness. The juxtaposition is more than just a little sexy, and when Parad tries to bite down on his bottom lip, Kiriya laughs with everything in his chest. It makes him feel happy and alive and in love. 

(It’s too soon to feel that way about Parad right now, but Kiriya knows he has room to let the feeling grow, and for now, that’s enough)

Parad pulls back — Emu watches raptly, eyes glittery and dark — and Parad’s pretty brown eyes sparkle the way they do whenever he’s up to something. “Do you want to hear about when we first realized we like boys, Kiriya?”  
  
Emu’s eyes go wide, enough to be comical, and immediately protests,“Parado, _do not!_ ”

“What’s this?” Kiriya raises his brow and tries his best not to smile while Emu’s eyes go dark.

“Parado, if you don’t shut up, I’m gonna tell him about that time you got us disqualified from a tournament...”

“Go ahead. I don’t regret anything.” 

“He hit one of the other contestants,” Emu mutters.

Kiriya gives Parad a look while smirking against his glass, “Oh yeah? Did you get him good, tiger?” 

“ _Kiriya,_ ” Emu whispers, scandalized. 

“He kissed us,” Parad explains. “On the lips. On a dare.”

Kiriya blows on air, feigning consideration. “I don’t know, Emu. Sounds like he deserved it.”

“I felt so bad afterwards...” Emu’s looking at him with those puppy dog eyes with a very obvious pout on his lips. It never stops being cute, on either of them. “You have no idea.”

Kiriya wraps his arm around Emu’s shoulders to pull him towards him, and presses a kiss to his forehead. Not without smiling, though. “I bet,” Kiriya says, eyeing Parad. “Bug boy’s right hook is pretty fearsome.”

Parad preens for him, totally shameless. Emu pushes at his shoulder and gives a dramatic  roll of his eyes.  
  
“You guys are crazy,” Emu chastises half-heartedly. It hardly comes through with the smile on his lips.

“You two are gonna be the death of me,” Kiriya concludes, before very pointedly adding, “Again,” which makes Parad scrunch his face up and Emu groan loudly. 

Even bickering, watching them together is something else. All the years spent being copilots in Emu’s body shine through in their easy ebb-and-flow.  It’s like watching the sun and moon collide, something strange and beautiful and otherworldly. It feels entirely natural, though. Like they really are made for each other, and, as scary as it might have once been, nothing feels better to Kiriya than knowing he’s a person that completes that. It even surprises him, how easy he fits into their rhythm. 

They’re both absorbed in a game when he steps towards the couch, where they’re bickering like kids and taunting each other as they both pull for first place. The moment Emu sees Kiriya moving towards him, his face lights up and he adjusts himself to make room for Kiriya between him and Parad. 

“Player 3?” Parad asks, holding out a controller.

Kiriya almost wants to laugh at how on the nose that is, but holds it in. He grins instead, happy and bright. 

Their fingers brush when Kiriya takes it, and Parad smiles at him. Almost imperceptibly. Not quite the way he beams at Emu, but something fond and subdued. It’s a look he’s never seen in him, and unhooks something warm and fond loose within him. 

Kiriya sits between them and he feels the steady weight of both of them, thighs brushing, even if there’s plenty of room for the three of them to spread out, filling up the couch at either side.

After some games, and some kissing in between matches (and Parad and Emu look _so good_ doing it, enough so that’s clear they practiced for him) they take it to the bedroom. Not for sex, just for sleep. 

Parad shines off his shoes and coat while Emu changes into actual pajamas, just a faded t-shirt and boy shorts. They lay him down in the center of the bed, lying on his back. Parad makes use of all his long limbs, curling into his side. Emu runs warmer than he does, resting his head on Kiriya’s right shoulder, and laces their fingers together over his stomach. 

Kiriya watches the rise and fall of Parad’s chest, feels the steady beat of Emu’s heart against his body lulling him to sleep, and dreams of warm skin, happy endings, and being alive.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i adapted a prank from the office b/c i couldn't come up with my own, and a scene from buffy (vaguely) b/c star trek is my only reference for how poker works (even after watching lots of youtube) ... still think it's worth mentioning!
> 
> thank you alicia, the cyclone to my joker, for reading this fic, like, twenty times while it was in progress; it wouldn't have gotten done without you.
> 
> **cw:** there is, uh, a mild stabbing. nbd, parad is a bugster so it's fine.


End file.
